During operation of semiautomatic pistols using the short recoil system, the breech end of the barrel drops downwardly toward the frame after the barrel unlocks from the slide as the slide and barrel move relatively to the frame in recoil as a round is fired. This drop of the barrel's breech end causes the longitudinal axis of the barrel to have an angular orientation with respect to the direction of motion of the slide. The drop of the breech end also causes the now spent cartridge casing in the chamber to move downwardly relatively to the slide, on which the extractor is mounted. Under certain conditions the drop could be great enough to allow the rim of the spent casing to drop below the controlling surface of the extractor, causing a failure to extract as the barrel's breech end separates from the breech block mounted on the slide. This type of malfunction is particularly difficult to clear. There is an opportunity therefore, to increase the reliability of semiautomatic pistols operating on the short recoil system by controlling the breech end drop of the barrel, or the angular orientation of the barrel's longitudinal axis with respect to the direction of motion of the slide.